Adult skills levels are not yet standardised across the UK. In England and Wales, the adult numeracy levels, along with literacy and language, are measured with 5 different catagories, with Entry Level 1 at the bottom (equivalent to the standard expected for ages 5 to 7) and Level 2 (GCSE A*-C) at the top. Scotland and Northern Ireland use a system similar to international levels to measure adult skills.

The chart below compares adult skills, together with school and vocational levels used in different parts of the UK and internationally:

National standards expected at each level are described as follows:

Entry Level 1:Understanding information given by numbers and symbols in simple graphic, numerical and written forms. This includes:

recognising and selecting coins

ordering and comparing numbers up to 10

Adults below Entry Level 1 may not be able to select floor numbers in lifts.

Entry Level 2:Understanding information given by numbers, symbols, simple diagrams and charts in graphic, numerical and written form. This includes:

calculating costs and change

adding and subtracting two-digit numbers

Adults below Entry Level 2 may not be able to use a cash machine.

Entry Level 3:Understanding information given by numbers, symbols, diagrams and charts for different purposes expressed in graphic, numerical and written forms in different ways. This includes:

dividing two digits by one digit and understanding remainders

comparing weights using standard units.

Adults with skills below Entry Level 3 may not be able to understand price labels or pay household bills.

Level 1:Understanding straightforward mathematical information used for different purposes and being able to independently select relevant information expressed in graphic, numerical and written forms. This includes:

doing simple percentages

converting units of measure

Adults with skills below Level 1 may not be able to understand their pay slips.

Level 2:Understanding mathematical information used for different purposes and can independently select and compare relevant information from a variety of graphic, numerical and written forms.

Adults with skills below Level 2 may not be able to compare the cost of products and services, or work out a household budget.

England and Wales have implemented strategies for improving adult literacy and numeracy following on from national surveys to measure overall skills, as well as the OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). England conducted the Skills for Life Survey from 2003 to 2011, and Wales ran the National Survey of Adult Skills from 2004 to 2010, both using levels exactly equivalent to learning curriculums for adults and young people within the two regions.

Independently of these reports, the British Cohort Study also includes measures of numeracy abilities and was conducted across the whole of the UK. Although a number of other reports feature the issue of adult numeracy, these are not geared towards providing an accurate snap-shot of numeracy levels across the UK.

International measures of numeracy levels

The OECD use international measures of numeracy levels which roughly correspond to the curriculum in the UK. In the table above we have provided more exact comparison between UK and international measures. Level 2 in the English and Welsh National standards, which we define as the minimum, starts roughly half-way through International Level 3.

For the PIAAC Survey of Adult Skills Levels expected standards at each level are described as follows:

Below Level 1:At this level individuals must be able to carry out simple processes such as:

counting and sorting

performing basic arithmetic operations with whole numbers and money

recognise common spatial representations

other familiar contexts where the mathematical content is clear with little or no text

Level 1:

At this level individuals must be able to carry out simple, one-step mathematical processes where the mathematical content is clear with little text, such as the following:

counting and sorting

performing basic arithmetic operations

understanding simple percentages

locating and identifying simple, common graphical or spatial representations

Level 2:At this level individuals must be able to identify and act on mathematical information embedded in a range of common contexts where the mathematical content is fairly clear or visual. Tasks tend to require the application of two or more steps, such as the following:

processes involving calculation with whole numbers and common decimals

percentages and fractions

simple measurement and spatial representation

estimation

interpretation of relatively simple data and statistics in texts, tables and graphs

Level 3:At this level individuals must be able to understand mathematical information that may be less clear, embedded in contexts that are not always familiar and represented in more complex ways. Tasks require several steps and may involve the choice of problem-solving strategies, such as the following

application of number sense and spatial sense

recognising and working with mathematical relationships, patterns and proportions expressed in verbal or numerical form

interpretation and basic analysis of data and statistics in texts, tables and graphs.

Level 4:At this level individuals must be able to understand a broad range of mathematical information that may be complex, abstract or embedded in unfamiliar contexts. These tasks involve undertaking multiple steps and choosing relevant problem-solving strategies, such as the following:

analysis and more complex reasoning with quantities and data

statistics and probability

spatial relationships

change, proportions and formulas

understanding arguments and communicating explanations for answers

Level 5:At this level individuals must be able to understand complex representations, abstract and formal mathematical and statistical ideas, possibly embedded in more complex forms. This includes the following: